Parallel processing digital audio processing apparatus

Abstract

This invention relates to the allocation of object code in multi-processor systems. In particular, techniques are disclosed for efficiently allocating signal processing instructions to a large array of parallel signal processing units.

We claim: 
     
       1. Digital audio processing apparatus comprising a plurality of parallel processing units for performing processing operations on a plurality of audio channels, in which, for at least a subset of said audio channels, said processing requirements associated with each channel in said subset are successively performed by more than one processing unit, and at least one of said processing units that performs said processing requirements associated with at least one channel in conjunction with other processing units performs respective processing operations associated with more than one of said audio channels. 
     
     
       2. Apparatus according to claim 1, in which each processing unit executes a respective predetermined repetitive sequence of data processing instructions, said sequence being executed once during each audio sample period of audio data in said audio channels. 
     
     
       3. Apparatus according to claim 2, in which the sequence of instructions for each processing unit does not include conditional branch instructions.